While ornamental plants are produced mainly for their aesthetic value, the propagation and improvement of quality attributes such as leaf types, flower colour and fragrance, longevity and form, plant shape and architecture, and the creation of novel variation are important economic goals for the expanding ornamental industry. In Protocols for In Vitro Propagation of Ornamental Plants, leading researchers in the field compile step-wise protocols for rapid plant multiplication and in vitro storage of major commercially viable ornamental plants. Divided into two sections, Section A contains chapters mainly on micropropagation of cut and pot flowers with detailed protocols involving in vitro culture-explants, medium preparation, detailed medium table, shoot initiation and proliferation, root induction, in vitro plant hardening, and field transfer, and Section B delves into reviews on topics such as in vitro production of sweet peas, the status of transgenics in ornamental plants, in vitro conservation, the status of floriculture in Europe, azalea phylogeny, and thin cell layers. As part of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials, step-by-step laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Comprehensive and clear, Protocols for In Vitro Propagation of Ornamental Plants presents key techniques that will be of great use to floriculturists, researchers, commercial companies, biotechnologists, and students dealing with ornamental plants.